About CLDP

Who We Are

Established in 1992, CLDP is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that helps achieve U.S. foreign policy goals in developing and post-conflict countries through commercial legal reforms. CLDP’s unique, government-to-government technical assistance draws upon highly-experienced regulators, judges, policymakers, business leaders and attorneys from both the public and private sectors to deliver results that make meaningful and lasting changes to the legal and business environments of our host countries.

The CLDP Team

CLDP lawyers, resident advisors, program specialists and administrative personnel are multicultural and have expertise in international business, commercial laws, trade relations and development assistance. Most members of CLDP’s staff speak at least two languages fluently, and much of CLDP’s work is conducted in the language of the host country. Partnering with many Commerce Department bureaus, the federal judiciary, other U.S. Government agencies and international organizations, CLDP designs and implements conferences and workshops, utilizes long and short-term advisors and trains foreign delegations in the U.S. and other countries to improve commercial legal frameworks.

Why CLDP is Important

In the past two decades, developing and transitional countries worldwide have displayed a greater commitment to achieving economic growth through liberalization. This has created an opportunity for the United States to build stronger bilateral relationships, while increasing economic opportunity for itself and its partners. Many developing countries look to the United States as the world’s leading economy for assistance to improve their laws and regulations. CLDP has filled that need by working with those governments to create effective and reliable political, commercial, and legal institutions that are critical to fostering attractive environments where businesses can find opportunity. CLDP has more than 20 years of experience working with developing and transitional countries to strengthen economic environments through a broad and flexible approach to commercial law technical assistance.

Who Benefits from CLDP Assistance

Both the U.S. and foreign countries benefit from CLDP efforts. Working closely with the U.S. Embassies, CLDP has helped develop the legal infrastructure to support domestic and international businesses alike through programs in more than 50 countries. U.S. businesses benefit from growing overseas markets that have transparent legal systems and fair regulations. CLDP’s work to help countries increase compliance with international and bilateral trade obligations levels the playing field for U.S. businesses to compete. Simultaneously, CLDP serves as a technical assistance catalyst to help developing countries make the reforms they seek to modernize the laws and regulations that will lead to economic growth and opportunity for their people.